Magic
by PhantomGrimalkin
Summary: The trickster God discovers magic in Midgard for the first time and ends up trying to learn about it from a house-bound Sirius Black. Potential slash later on.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I own neither Harry Potter, or anything involved with it, nor Marvel's Thor. This is done for fun only. As you'll be able to tell, it's set in Harry's 5th year of school, well before the events of the Thor movie.

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><p>Loki could never explain his fascination with Midgard. He'd found the realm amazing and visited it every chance he could get, sometimes spending years at a time there. This, of course, had gotten much easier when he figured out how to do so without the use of the bifröst. He never cared for relying on Heimdall to travel. The two had never exactly gotten along, and he always suspected that the guard would one day decide not to bring him back home.<p>

One of the things he loved about Midgard was watching it develop. He remembered when their only decent method of travel was horse drawn carriages, when traveling across an ocean took months. Over the years, through his visits, he'd watched as the Midgardians developed. After the Industrial Revolution, as they called it, it sometimes felt hard to keep up.

This odd fondness he felt towards their developments was why he sometimes used their methods of transportation despite being perfectly capable of just magicing himself wherever he needed to be.

On one of these occasions he was in London, planning to take a train across the British countryside. He had no real interest in his destination, he would likely simply go back to London or some other city. While they could be annoying, they were also more interesting. He waited in King's Cross Station, watching the comings and goings of the mortals with amusement.

The amusement stopped when he saw something that he was rather certain was not supposed to be able to occur in Midgard- someone had walked through one of the barriers between the platforms. He frowned, walking over. He would have to investigate this. He placed a hand on the platform. Or, rather, he placed a hand _through_ the platform. He stepped through it and was surprised to find himself elsewhere.

Fascinating, _magic_ in Midgard. No one paid him much notice, and he was able to overhear enough to establish that this particular platform was exclusively for a train to some kind of school that taught magic. He had no interest in seeing a school, but he would have to find a way to learn more about this. He had always been under the impression that the only magic in Midgard was when someone from Asgard decided to visit, as he was doing.

Asking did not seem like it would warrant anything other than confused looks about why he needed to know, surely there was a reason that he hadn't heard of this in his many, _many_ centuries of visiting the realm.

The deity left the station at this point and went to a nearby café he had found and rather liked to think this through and ponder the situation more. When on Midgard, he found that pondering was best done over a well-brewed latte.

He knew that his magic would allow him to find a place with a… What did they call themselves? Witches and wizards, that's what they were saying. He had spells that could take him even to places he didn't yet know of. It was handy for finding the best restaurants, but he did need to be wary with it until he knew more about these people and their magic. While he was certain he could overpower a handful, a roomful might be a push.

He frowned as he contemplated this. These people should be used to the idea of a person just _appearing_ in a place, so discretion wasn't too necessary. A place with only one or two would be safest, preferably "good" wizards (he'd heard reference to "bad" ones and, while those would likely be who he found himself preferring to be around, they seemed more willing to hurt them).

"That should be sufficient," he murmured to himself. He considered, for safe measure, making himself invisible but realized he was dealing with users of an unknown magic. They may be able to tell he was there anyways, at least until he learned how to make sure they didn't. He'd had that problem with infrared cameras.

He went over the requirements he would use for the spell to make sure there were no "loopholes" the spell could use to bring him somewhere dangerous- as a trickster God, his magic had a nasty habit of tricking _him_ when he wasn't careful- Loki decided that this plan was safe enough. He continued sipping his latte for some time, savoring it. He was in no sort of hurry.

After finishing the latte, he wandered until he found a rather deserted area. While the Midgardians were rather oblivious, they would likely notice a person vanishing in the middle of the street and he preferred to be more discreet than that.

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><p>Today was not a terribly good day for Sirius. There hadn't been many in quite some time, although he'd been lucky enough to get a few in the past year, but today was not one. Harry had gone back to Hogwarts. The other Order members were off on assignments- something he hated not being allowed to do. Arthur and Molly returned to their home now that their children were no longer there, and undoubtedly had things they were doing for Dumbledore as well.<p>

He sat in the kitchen. He knew that there would be Order meetings in his house, and the friends he still had had promised to visit him whenever they could, but he would still be left alone with only Kreature for company for a good amount of time. For the first time since the Weasley kids and Hermione had arrived there for the summer.

This was not a good day.

Yes, he had gotten to actually leave the house to accompany Harry to the Station, but that memory only just barely helped, and it certainly didn't change the fact he'd be alone. In this blasted house.

When he heard a knock on the door, he rather literally lunged towards it. As he was sitting in a chair that was pulled up to the table, this was not terribly effective and ended with him falling and taking a few chairs with him. He swore to himself but got up anyways, walking over to the door eagerly. There was only one person who could get to this house that he wouldn't want to talk to- it would be considerably longer before he could tolerate Snape- and it was highly unlikely to be him.

He pulled the door open, smiling brightly until he saw a stranger. A somewhat tall, thin and pale man with black hair and green eyes that reminded him of Harry's who was wearing muggle garb stood there.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously, his wand now at the ready.

"That is actually something of a long story," the stranger answered with a pleasant smile, "One that I'm not certain you would believe." His eyes darted down to Sirius's hand clenched around his wand and back at the gaunt man's face, "Would I be correct to assume that you are a wizard?"

Sirius stared at him for several minutes, his hand relaxing slightly at the sheer shock that came over him as he realized what the stranger had just said. "You're not?"

"No."

"How the hell did a muggle get here?" Sirius was not asking the stranger, he was asking himself.

"A what?" the man asked with a bemused smile.

"People who can't use magic."

Sirius glared as the man laughed at this. The stranger shook his head, "Ah, I'm afraid you are making some very ill-informed assumptions. I am not a… _muggle_ as you call them, I doubt I would fit into your definition of 'people' either."

Stepping back slightly, Sirius raised his wand to the man's neck before growling, "What the Hell are you?"

"I am Loki Odinsson from Asgard, I do not know what words you would have for me, though I have been considered a God in times long past," he replied, looking at the wand with amusement.

A chill ran down Sirius's spine. He didn't believe this for a second, but he also didn't know what to do with someone who reacted so casually to being threatened like that. His mind ran down the list of magical creatures he knew of, trying to think of something that could explain this.

"Is this a bad time? I apologize for this, but I really wasn't sure of a decent way to find out about the magic you have here," the stranger, Loki he called himself, said.

Sirius frowned, "How did you get here? You shouldn't be able to get here if you aren't a wizard." Or if you hadn't been told how to get here.

"I use a different kind of sorcery that may not follow your rules," he explained, "There is a terribly useful spell I have that allows me to find places or people. I wished to speak with a 'witch' or 'wizard' who was alone and less likely to attack me—"

"Don't bet on that," Sirius growled.

"-and ended up here. I meant no harm," Loki finished with a reassuring smile.

Even if he was insane, he _hadn't_ done anything threatening. Sirius hesitated, his loneliness and common sense battling as he tried to decide what to do.

Loki had long ago learned to tell when he was not wanted, and now may or may not be the case. He raised an eyebrow as he watched the 'wizard' who appeared to be having an internal struggle. Quietly he said, "If you will only tell me where I can go to learn more about witches and wizards, I will leave and never bother you again."

Loneliness won out, loneliness and self-denial that perhaps this person was a wizard who hadn't gotten a letter from any of the schools and found a way to manage his powers himself. He knew it was unlikely if not impossible, but it was a nice thought. Helping some poor, lonely wizard realize what he really was and that he wasn't alone after so long. God he had gotten sappy in Azkaban.

"You genuinely mean no harm?" he asked, lowering his wand.

The trickster smiled at him, "None at all." For now, at least.

"Come in, then, I'll try to tell you what you want to know," he said, getting out of the way and gesturing inside, his wand still in his hand.

Loki stepped in with a word of thanks and looked around, raising his eyebrow. He could tell that this had once been a rather grand place but it was now dark and dreary. Somehow the air had managed to actually feel thick with despair or something like it.

"Charming place," he said. The other man snorted at that, leading him into a room he could only assume was the kitchen.

"You should have seen it before we started cleaning it," he muttered. Loki decided he would rather not think about that. The man gestured for him to sit down before saying, "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you, ah…" he paused, "I'm afraid you never told me your name."

"Sirius Black," he replied, raising an eyebrow as he waited for a response.

Loki nodded, "Is it common for people here to name their children after stars or just wizards?"

"Er… neither," he replied, relaxing a bit that the name didn't get any response. Definitely didn't spend time in the wizarding world, then. Although, didn't they put it in all the muggle papers as well? "My family has some odd ideas about names. Although 'Loki' is rather unusual as well."

He nodded, "I imagine that many of our names are here." Except Thor, of course, it seemed that many Germanic cultures saw fit to name children after his brother. The trickster doubted highly that many named their children after him.

"Where are you from?" he asked, wondering if that might help explain things.

Loki looked up at him, "As I told you- Asgard."

"What country is that in?"

"While I imagine there are towns named after it, it is a separate realm," he replied with a smile.

Sirius frowned to hear that he was keeping up with that story. He shrugged anyways, "So, what do you want to know about wizards?"

"Everything, although I imagine you'd like me to be more specific."

"Could help."

"How does your magic work, then?" he asked, green eyes glittering intensely as he looked at his host.

Sirius scratched his head, not sure how to answer that, "You wave your wand, say a spell, and it works."

"Wands are required for magic here?"

"You don't need one?"

Loki smiled, conjuring up a glass of wine. "No," he said simply before bringing it to his lips and sipping gently at it.

Sirius again stared in shock at what he had just seen. Spells without words- sure, they taught that. Spells without wands rarely happened, and only when the person was in extreme stress and it happened without the person meaning it to. It was never this controlled.

"Ah… How did you…?" Not the most intelligent thing he'd ever said.

Again he smiled, this time an infuriatingly smug "I know something you don't know" smile, "Magic."


	2. Chapter 2

It did not take long for Sirius to figure out that the 'magic' his guest could use was very different from wizard magic. After showing some spells he noted, with some annoyance, the amusement that the so-called "god" found that they were Latin words or phrases. Grammatically questionable words or phrases, he had been somewhat eager to point out to Sirius's annoyance.

"Try casting something on me," Loki said after seeing enough.

"What?"

"I want to see if it works and, if it does, if I can undo it," he replied excitedly.

Sirius smirked, he couldn't deny that he kind of did want to curse the man, and with an open invitation… Lazily he pointed his wand at the willing victim and decided to use a rather benign spell, "_Petrificus totallus_'

As the spell hit him, Loki felt the unpleasant and unfamiliar sensation of his joints locking up. He fell to the floor and quickly used his own magic to sense out what was causing this and try to undo it. He had mild success, he could move, but his joints were still stiff.

"Care for a countercurse?" Sirius asked. He was actually impressed that the man had been able to undo it so much, but he noticed the look of annoyance at his stiff joints.

Loki considered being stubborn and insisting upon doing it himself, but thought better of it. He smiled warmly at his host and nodded. Both actions were a bit stiff, but hopefully the wizard would realize why.

Sirius muttered the countercurse and Loki stood up, stretching his limbs with relish. "That _was_ interesting." He brushed himself off slightly before looking up at his host, "I suppose I have intruded on your hospitality long enough and probably should leave."

"You don't have to," Sirius said before he even thought about it, as annoying as this man could be it beat the oppressive isolation he felt when no one else was in the house with him. He wanted to put it off as long as he could, although he was aware that it wasn't the wisest thing he'd ever wanted to do.

The trickster god raised an eyebrow at that, wondering what caused this reaction. He had not gotten the impression that his presence was terribly welcome. Well, he hardly had any pressing business in Asgard and nothing else planned in this realm. He looked uncertainly at the gaunt man, "No, I suppose I do not. Do you wish me to stay?"

Admitting that he didn't wish _him_ to stay he just didn't wish to be alone was something Sirius had no interest in doing. He shrugged, "If you want to, I wouldn't mind."

Loki nodded, looking away so he could smile knowingly without risk of upsetting the wizard. He looked back at Sirius and nodded, "I shall stay, then." He pretended not to notice the man's shoulders relaxing slightly and instead looked around, raising an eyebrow, "Forgive my impudence, but this place does not seem like the type you would prefer to live in." More accurately, the man did not seem at all as comfortable as mortals typically were in their own home.

Sirius laughed hollowly, shaking his head, "No, I would rather watch this place burn to the ground than live here. I have no choice…"

"Is there any reason for such hostility towards it?"

"Yes," he growled and left it at that. Loki decided this was not something to press, not at this point anyways.

The two settled into a slightly uncomfortable silence for a few moments after that. Sirius sighed and glanced over at his guest, "You really believe what you said about being from…" he couldn't remember what the man had called.

"Asgard, and yes," Loki supplied with a slight laugh. The wizard thought he was crazy, that was an amusing development. He thought back fondly to the good old days when mortals were far less cynical and the slightest show of magic bought God status. Of course, he never cared for worshippers the way the rest of his family, indeed most of Asgard, did, but there was something delightful to the ego about being considered a God.

"How did you get here, then?"

"There are ways to travel among the realms that we have known about for millennia," he answered, then frowned as he realized something, "Midgard is one of the few that have not found a way to do so, actually."

"Midgard?"

"What we call this realm."

"Dare I ask what you call the people who live here?"

"Mortals, I'm afraid it isn't anything as interesting as "muggle"," he replied with a small smile.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "So, what, you're _im_mortal?"

Loki thought about this for a moment, "Not entirely, we can be killed. But I do not know if we can die of old age and we live a very long time."

"How old are you?"

This was something that Loki had not bothered to keep track of after he'd reached adulthood. He tried to remember what year it was when he'd first visited Midgard, but it seemed as though they changed the way they measured years at some point. He rubbed his chin for a moment, "Well, I was around during the time of the vikings, if that gives an indication."

Muggle history was not something Sirius knew much about, but he was aware that the vikings were centuries ago. He raised his eyebrows, impressed by that, until he realized that he didn't really want to buy into this story. It was hard not to be drawn into it by how rational the man seemed, that there was no signs of lying when he spoke about this, and his unusual magic.

"Gives me some idea, I guess," he responded, attempting to run a hand through his tangled hair. Azkaban had done a great deal of damage to it, and every other part of him, and he only had enough will to get a brush through it to keep it from becoming a completely matted mess, not to keep it presentable.

"I take it you still don't believe me."

Sirius shrugged, "Kind of hard to. If that place really exists, why wouldn't I have heard of it?"

"I hadn't heard of witches or wizards outside of fantasy books until today, yet here you are," Loki said with a smile, "Records of our visits to Midgard have become mythology, I imagine it's similar to how interactions between wizards and 'muggles' became fairy tales."

Sirius frowned, he couldn't argue with that logic. He'd really wanted to be able to. While it was true that an entire magical society had been hidden for however long from muggles, was it really possible for there to be other realms? He smirked as a thought crossed his mind, "I suppose that makes you an alien."

"Yes," he replied, "I apologize for not meeting the rather intriguing expectations that mortals have come up with."

Sirus shook his head, "That's mostly muggles. Witches and wizards have enough creatures on Earth we know exist to have to go looking for anything in the stars."

"Oh?" the trickster asked, intrigued by that, "What do you mean by that?"

"Most creatures that muggles think of as "mythic" actually exist, and then there are some muggles don't even know about, we just work to keep muggles away from them for their own good as well as to protect the creatures from them," Sirius explained.

"Really, now?" he asked, a mischievous grin curling on his face. He would have to learn more about this.

Sirius shook his head, "Don't get any ideas- plenty of them even wizards can't handle."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," he said, putting on his most angelically innocent face.

The animagus laughed, remembering his school days and all the times he'd pulled that face on a teacher, and occasionally Remus. He grinned at the man, "Yeah, I'm sure you wouldn't."

That response was nice to see. Some certainly did not care for his trickster ways (which he did try to keep relatively harmless), but he had found enough mortals who did. It seemed that this wizard was one of them. Loki smirked at him, "I wonder if you speak from experience."

Sirius grinned, "I was quite the prankster in my day…"

"Any reason you aren't still?"

The man rubbed a hand over his cheek, looking away. "Well, between being convicted of a crime I didn't commit, escaping from prison, now on the run and the growing war, there just isn't as much opportunity."

"What war?" he asked warily, he had heard nothing about any war, things seemed fairly normal.

"If you've only just found out about wizards, you wouldn't know," Sirius said with a heavy sigh, "There is a terribly evil wizard, one so evil that very few will even speak his name, who's trying to kill off all of the muggles and muggle-born wizards."

Loki raised his eyebrows at that, "The war is between the wizards who don't agree with that and those who do?" Sirius nodded. "The world would be terribly boring without muggles," Loki said, shaking his head, "I wish you luck."

"Don't wish me luck," the man spat, "I'm trapped in this house while others are out there fighting- putting their lives in danger while I sit around doing nothing of value."

"Because you're on the run?"

The man nodded, his brow furrowed and he looked away. He tried very hard not to resent Dumbledore for forcing him to stay here. It was the only solution, he knew that being a wanted criminal meant that there was little he could truly do. That didn't make it any easier to tolerate.

He took a deep breath, getting off those thoughts. It wouldn't help to dwell on self-pity. He managed a half smile to the man, "Sorry."

Loki smiled sympathetically at him. While he had no interest in fighting, he could understand the feeling of uselessness. "Don't be, there is no need."

Sirius grunted in response to that, again looking away for awhile. With a wry smile he looked over at Loki, "If you're from Asgard- why a London accent?"

The trickster stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and smiling, "I don't really know. My brother apparently sounds Australian. What accent would you prefer I had? I could make a very good attempt at it."

Damn, he'd been hoping that would be enough of a trap to prove it was a fake story. He scowled slightly, not really caring for the explanation. "You might as well stick with that one."

"You're too kind," he said before looking at him, "But if you're trying to catch me in a lie, you won't succeed. I'm telling you the truth."

Somewhere in the house a clock struck five. Sirius scratched his head, "There's an Order Meeting tonight at 9. You should probably leave by then. I don't care to explain to them how you got here."

"A _what_ meeting?"

"That I won't tell you, sorry," he answered. He'd probably said too much as it was.

Loki accepted that answer. "I'm surprised you're willing to put up with me for another four hours."

The man shrugged, looking down. The trickster actually felt empathy tug at him, he knew how to recognize loneliness. Some of his punishments for his more daring misdeeds had involved being isolated, and he remembered wishing for _anyone's_ company after a few months of that. And he did not imagine that this man was nearly as much of a loner as he was.

"Tell me something, how familiar are you with the Norse Myths?" he asked the man with a smile.

Sirius shook his head, "Not at all. That's muggle stuff."

The trickster pursed his lips for a moment to hear that but got over it quickly. He placed a finger on his lip as he thought about it, "I know of a few mor-er- _muggle_ books on it that are rather enjoyable. You might like them." He smirked and couldn't resist adding, "Particularly the ones about me."

"What are you, the God of Ego?" he asked, rolling his eyes at the last sentence. It honestly didn't sound terribly interesting, but he didn't have much better to do.

"Actually," Loki said with a sly smile, "I'm the God of Mischeif. A Trickster God, some call me."

The wizard raised an eyebrow at that, "I didn't know they had those."

"Oh, they certainly do, the world would be _dreadfully_ boring without us."

Sirius chuckled at that, it certainly would be. He frowned then, "A trickster god showing up at the house of a rather notorious ex-prankster, that's an interesting coincidence."

Loki smirked, "When it comes to my spells- there _are_ no coincidences."


	3. Chapter 3

"How does your magic work, then?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. It only seemed fair, he'd spent however long trying to explain how wizardry worked. Now his visitor should explain how his magic works.

Loki looked thoughtful for a few moments, "It seems similar to yours, though a bit different. Some spells, however, seem to reflect the user's personality." He grinned wickedly, "Being a trickster, my spells enjoy playing practical jokes as much as I do."

"That seems dangerous, if you can't control them."

He shook his head, "I have no intention of hurting people, a wickeder person's magic could be very dangerous, but mine is not. It exploits loopholes in the spells I cast, but only when I leave them. However, it would not surprise me if there were nearer wizards on their own and that my magic chose to bring me to someone who appreciates a bit of mischief."

The gaunt man rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, "It almost sounds like your magic is alive."

The trickster chuckled, "It can seem that way- but nothing of the sort. It merely acts on my subconscious as well as my conscious thoughts. It may feel as though it has a mind of its own, but really it just acts as I wish it to. It just isn't limited to wishes I'm aware of."

"And you still expect me to believe that isn't dangerous?" Sirius asked, knowing that there was much that the subconscious could want that the conscious would never act on.

"I suppose I can't argue with that," he said quietly, "It takes a bit of training yourself to be able to control that and ensure you don't do damage or anything else you would regret."

"What would happen if someone didn't do that training?"

"Nothing good," he said grimly. Loki glanced up with a much more neutral face, "However, these are powers only Asgardians have and both Frigga, the Queen, and Freyja, Goddess of Sorcery, makes sure that people do not abuse their powers and could easily overpower anyone who tried to."

Sirius nodded, "That is good. I wish we had people like that here."

"It can be, it also limits some freedom," he said quietly, "But it _does_ prevent your current situation." A silence fell for a few moments before Loki asked, "Are there so many who agree with him that he cannot easily be overtaken?"

"Too many do. The rest? They're afraid. This had happened before and they want to deny that it could happen again, they remember the terror and pain and would rather let it get worse than acknowledge it's happening," he spat out the last bit in disgust. It was disgusting, the way people were reacting. You-know-who back and all people can be bothered with doing is slandering the people most able to stop him to prevent panic. There'd be panic, though, the sycophants in the Ministry can't possibly think he won't eventually do something so bad that even they couldn't cover it up.

Unless he'd already gotten to the Ministry.

Sirius shuddered at that thought, causing Loki to express concern. He waived it away though, his face grim, "I just realized it's possible that You-Know-Who had gotten to our government. Or will in the future."

"Do you really not say his name?"

"No, even his name strikes fear into the hearts of people."

"All the more reason to say it," he said quietly. Sirius couldn't deny that argument, sometimes he wanted to start saying Voldemort. But enough people were still so scarred from the past that they couldn't stand hearing the name, and it was hard to start using it when everyone else around him referred to the "Dark Lord" like that. It wasn't a fight worth making, in his opinion.

"Do you think you could help us?" Sirius asked quietly.

Loki looked down. They weren't supposed to interfere with the other realms, especially not Midgard. He was never one to do what he was supposed to, but messing with this would bring more trouble than it was worth. He sighed, "I don't know. I still don't know anything about this magic. What do you think I could do?"

He sighed, "I don't know. I just hoped…"

They fell into silence for a few moments. The trickster understood, but he was not of this world and it was not his place. Besides that, he felt confident that they would work it out. There had been many humans who sought to do great evil that had been stopped by others.

Then again, they had also gotten away with great evil and after succeeding managed to make it seem like it had been entirely justified. Loki frowned at that thought. He wished he knew about wizards, perhaps they had a better track record.

The gaunt man groaned, "I hate being so useless. My best friend, those I care about, they're all out there risking their lives and I'm stuck here talking to some god or whatever you really are."

"I could leave," he pointed out again.

Sirius sighed heavily at that suggestion, shaking his shaggy head, "Then I'd only be talking to myself."

"Well, I suppose that I'm glad my company is wanted so long as it staves off insanity," he said with a roll of his eyes. There was no anger in his voice, though.

"If you are a god- why would you be wasting your time with someone who only wants you here so he won't be alone?" Sirius asked bitterly.

That was an interesting question. Initially it had been to find out more about magic on Midgard, but that topic had faded some time ago. For why he still stayed, this man was better company than most on Asgard, and it was a rather rare and welcome occurrence for someone to actually want Loki around. Even if this was only because there was no one else. He had no interest in telling this wizard that, though, so he shrugged, "I have nothing better to do with my time, mortals hardly need their gods anymore. Not that a trickster god was ever in high demand."

The wizard frowned that, once again, his guest had an answer that made sense and didn't reveal what he actually was. Sooner or later he'd figure it out, though. He wasn't going to believe the nonsense about being from another realm for a moment. No matter how nice it was for the ego to think of a _God_ wanting to spend time with him even in this state. His ego could use some help these days.

After the pause, Sirius shrugged, "I've never been one for religion- but if I wanted a God, I think a trickster is the one I'd rather have."

Loki smiled slightly, "It's a rare sort of person who would say that."

The wizard smirked and ran a hand through his hair, feeling a bit of his old self, "What can I say, I'm one of a kind."

"I've noticed," he replied quietly.

"So- if you're a trickster God… what would you do for me if I prayed to you?" Sirius asked with a grin, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"Nothing you couldn't do for yourself with your magic, I imagine," he replied with a shrug, "That's possibly why wizards aren't as fond of myth or religion- they don't need Gods intervening, they have their own powers." He paused for a moment after that before grinning slyly, "Besides, you'd _rather_ use your own magic. Tricksters really are the ones who coined the term "Be careful what you wish for"."

"Sounds like you'd at least make things exciting," he pointed out with a sigh, "Being trapped in here… I could use a bit of excitement now and then."

"It sounded like there was plenty of excitement in your world already."

"Out there, yes. In here… Well, I suppose living in a house you hate that's been booby trapped is excitement enough," his voice was dark as he muttered this reply, "I could use a _distraction_ is what I meant."

The trickster was uncertain what to say to this. It should have been obvious that bringing up the situation would get this response, was he so accustomed to annoying people that he did it automatically now? Very possibly. After a few moments he very quietly asked, "Why, exactly, are you trapped here?"

"I'm a wanted fugitive," he replied easily, watching his guest to see what kind of reaction it brought. Loki knit his brow together for a moment but otherwise showed not outward reaction.

"Wanted for what?"

"Murdering a street full of muggles and wizards."

The trickster shook his head, "Why would you do such a thing?" He couldn't see any real benefit to anyone.

"I didn't," the wizard answered bitterly, "Someone I had once thought of as a dear friend did it and framed me. I spent _13 years_ in wizard prison." He shivered slightly at the memory, "I have no intention of going back."

"I can understand why," Loki said quietly. He couldn't fully understand, he did not know what wizard prison was like. He had never had a run-in with a dementor, much less have to live with them for years. But he could understand that prison meant no freedom, and the need to avoid that was something he could understand.

Sirius made some sort of noise of annoyance at the statement, but simply nods, "Not that this house is much better…"

"Is there no way you can leave it? Even for some time?"

"I can as a dog… but it's too much of a risk. If even one person recognized me…" Sirius sighed.

Loki stared at him for a moment, "As a dog? You can transform into animals?" That really shouldn't have come as a surprise, one of Loki's powers _was_ shapeshifting. He supposed he just hadn't thought mortals to figure that one out.

"Just a dog," he corrected, "It's a wizard thing- we're called "Animagi". It's a complicated spell, but you can make it so that you can transform into a certain animal at will." He smiled fondly at the memories of just how he'd gotten this particular ability. "Then you're supposed to register yourself as one- but my mates and I did it in school, we weren't supposed to, so we never registered ourselves…." He frowned, "I believe that there are still some who can recognize me in that form anyways. Some that I wouldn't want to. So even that's not safe."

"Interesting," he said, rubbing his chin slightly.

"You have any ideas?" he tried not to be too hopeful, but at this point he would take just about any escape.

The trickster shook his head, "Not yet. I don't know enough about the wizarding side of your world yet." He placed his elbows on the table he was sitting at, resting his chin gently against intertwined fingers as he started thinking more deeply on it.

"What can I tell you?" Sirius asked eagerly, for the first time taking a seat next to his guest.

Loki looked at this gesture in surprise, distracted from his thoughts by it. He looked down, suddenly feeling very odd. It had been some time since he'd felt truly obligated to follow through for someone. Is that what he was feeling now?

After a moment he said, somewhat stiffly, "I don't know. I believe I'll have to find a way to research some of this independently."

"Oh," the wizard replied with a sigh, leaning back in the seat. He thought for a moment of offering access to his parents' extensive library to the man, but that would likely be more cruel than helpful. Not only that, but he didn't imagine his parents would have any _useful_ books, they seemed to only care for ones about cruelty.

"I can tell you how to get to a street with many wizarding shops, including a bookstore, in London. You can exchange muggle for wizarding money there, you may find something helpful," Sirius offered quietly.

"I believe that will be useful," he said slowly, trying not to look excited at the idea of wizard _shops_. Of course, the thought of more things to create mischief with won out over the hesitancy that it may be dangerous.

A knot formed in the wizard's stomach as he realized that this meant his guest would probably leave now. He pushed away from the table and got up with a sigh, "I'll go find a quill and parchment to write it down for you…"

"You don't have to yet. There's still at least an hour before I have to leave," Loki said quietly.

Sirius smiled at him and sat back down, nodding to himself. "Alright- what do you want to do until then?"


End file.
